20 years of the iconic film – Do you still remember the case of the time?

Samuli Vauramo and Pamela Tola made their breakthrough in Dome Karukoski’s debut film. ©Jolle Onnismaa, still photographer, Helsinki-filmi Oy

This year marks 20 years since Girl you are a star -film conquered the big screens. You could go to the movies for less than ten, with the campaign’s high six euro bottle caps. Pamela Tola and Samuli Vauramo made their breakthrough in Dome Karukoski’s film, which depicted young people on the threshold of adulthood.

Girl you are a stari -movie interested the Finnish audience. In the same year, there were many Finnish films that attracted even more interest in cinemas: Promise, Bad country, The best of mothers and FC Venus. The Finnish audience also found the giant investments Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Girl you are a star is Karukoski’s first feature film. It was also his final work at the University of Applied Arts.

The film won the best debut film award at Norway’s Amanda film gala. The film was also awarded at the festival organized in Athens. The jury, consisting of young people, almost unanimously chose the film as the winner of the main prize.

Exercising and gaining weight

The film focused on the dynamics of Nelli (Tola), a kind girl from a successful family, and Sune (Vauramo), who is struggling from weaker backgrounds.

Aspiring to medical studies, Nelli realizes that she wants more from her life than fulfilling her parents’ wishes. Sune, who is afraid of women, devotes his free time to rap. Nelli, who dreams of a music career, thinks that Sune could be useful for her. Sune, on the other hand, bets with his friends on Nelli’s wooing. And of course, emotions come into play.

Karukoski described in the film’s materials that he wants to make films with a kinder touch. He said that, despite that, it requires a lot.

– I wanted the main actors Jonas, Eero and Pamela sing their songs themselves. Samuli learned to scratch records. Pamela and Elena (Leeve) trained their bodies in top condition. Nice overachievers, nellies, do that. Eero Milonoff made it gain ten kilos – Dad must be big too. With efforts like this, the actors get close to their characters, Karukoski described.

From the school bench

At the time of the film’s release, Tola was in the fourth year of the Theater Academy. Tola had just acted Bad country in the movie and Teatteri Jurkan Westendin the play. Girl you are a star -film was followed by the female lead In the soap prince.

Vauramo slipped into the film from a seat at Teatterikorkeakoulu. In the summer of 2005, Vauramo graduated with a master’s degree in theater arts at the age of 23.

In November, the main actors recalled the film inspired by the television show.

– I feel like this movie is always with me. This was and still is such a dear project and I am eternally grateful that I could be a part of it, Tola wrote on Instagram.

He said that he still meets people who were impressed by the film and even started to realize their dreams inspired by it.

In his writing, Tola also appealed to the decision-makers and wrote about the importance of art. Vauramo, who starred in the film, did the same.

– Girl you are a star is part of Finnish popular culture, whose budget was largely supported by the state, and thereby the people. In a small country, culture must be supported with common funds, otherwise many stories will remain untold, Vauramo wrote on Instagram.